Been given the option on a new bike of 2×10 (40/28) or 3×10
im no racer but neither do i like to twiddle a small gear up hills
my other bike has 3×9 setup with a 34 tooth cassette i was wondering if
the 28 front with 36 rear would be close to 22front 34 rear

thanks for advice

2×8
24/36 & 11-28

or do you ride a lot of roads? (38T then)

I think you’ll be fine with 2×10 and a dinnerplate cassette. I don’t miss any ratios since swapping from 3×9.

2×10 all the way, 28/40 is a nice combo, 28-36 will be harder than 22-34, you’ll lose your bottom gear basically, but it’s no real use frankly!

GWs combo makes no advantage of the wider range cassette available with 10 speed and you’ll spend more time shifting on the front, totally defeating the point IMO.

How about 1 x 10?

2×9 works very well for me, 11-32 and 26/38. 2×10 would work even better.

Literally never missed my big rings except on the occasions a mountain bike gets forced into commuting duty. Not even once offroad. 10 speed won’t change that at all (though tbh I’m not sure it adds that much benefit over 2×9- I’d go for a 1×10 setup but the 11-36cassette would just see me using bigger front rings, which would just get me high gears I don’t need, I reckon.)

2×9 if I had the open choice on gears

njee – do you understand how ratios work?

36/11 is a high enough gear for any off road descent worth pedalling down.
Why on earth would you want a 28T granny ring if you needed a 36T sprocket on your cassette to go with it when a 24T ring with a 28T sprocket is a lower ratio, neater, quieter and lighter.

fashion?

Yes thanks, no need for the patronising comments. An 11-28 would require you to shift on the front more than a wider ratio cassette, which is purposely what I’d be trying to avoid. I used to use a 12-27 cassette with a triple, but had to shift on the front the whole time, which got annoying.

I’ve played with ratios since, and found 28/40 with an 11-34 good for 9 speed, and have been on 28/42 with an 11-36 10 speed this year, both have been good. It’s horses for courses really, I personally have no need for a 22t granny ring, 28 is plenty. Similar, whilst 11-36 Is a perfectly good top gear, having a bigger outer ring means I’m not spinning out on the road and not constantly at the bottom of the block.

YMMV.

Think that’s a matter of taste really… I like the wide ratios on the back just for the versatility, duplicated gears aren’t wasted gears in my book as they give a wider range on each ring. But not everyone would agree obviously.